Example
Credit note example: correcting an invoice properly
A finalised invoice cannot be edited — that is the point of finalising it. When something is wrong, or goods come back, you issue a credit note against it: a document that takes the amount off again and leaves both halves visible in your books. Here is what one looks like.
Your company
Stationsplein 4
6512 AB Nijmegen
Netherlands
VAT NL 8123.45.678.B01
Chamber of Commerce 12345678
Credit note
C2026-0009
Bill to
Fabrikam Interiors
Jan Jansen
Rotterdamseweg 112
2628 AL Delft
Netherlands
VAT NL 8012.34.567.B01
- Credit note date
- 18 August 2026
- Relates to invoice
- 2026-0043
- Customer number
- 10428
| Description | Qty | Price | VAT | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website design — credited in full | 1 | €450.00 | 21% | €450.00 |
- Subtotal excluding VAT
- €450.00
- VAT 21%
- €94.50
- Total credited including VAT
- €544.50
Credited against invoice 2026-0043. Any balance already paid will be refunded or set against the next invoice.
What goes on a credit note, and why
- Its own number series
- A credit note is a document in its own right, not a negative invoice, and it gets its own sequence so both remain traceable.
- A reference to the original invoice
- This is the part people leave off. Without the invoice number, nobody — you, the customer or an inspector — can pair the correction with what it corrects.
- Only the lines being put right
- Credit the whole invoice or only part of it: include just the lines and quantities that are actually being corrected, at the prices they were invoiced at.
- The same VAT rate as the original
- The VAT is reversed at the rate it was charged, which is what lets the return come out right for the period.
- One date only
- A credit note has no payment date to run against — the credit note date is the only date on it.
Making one in Invoice Office
Laying a credit note out by hand is the slow way to get it wrong. In Invoice Office the numbering, the VAT and the customer's details come from the record you already hold.
- 1
Open Sales → Credit notes and start a new one.
- 2
Pick the customer and set the credit note date — the only date this document carries.
- 3
Add the lines being credited with Add line, or Choose products, matching the original invoice.
- 4
Preview, then finalize and send it to the customer.
Questions
When should I use a credit note instead of editing the invoice?
As soon as the invoice is finalised. A finalised invoice is locked precisely so the numbering and the VAT return stay intact — the credit note is how the correction is recorded instead.
Can I credit only part of an invoice?
Yes. Include just the lines and quantities being corrected. A partial credit is the normal case when one item of several came back.
Does a credit note affect my VAT return?
Yes — it reverses the VAT it credits, at the rate originally charged, in the period of the credit note date.